China

Back on March 8, we first saw the Lenovo S920 in some leaked pictures showing off a handset with a design very similar to the HTC One. Although nothing was official at the time, it didn't take long for Lenovo to launch the handset, which is now available for purchase in China. We've got an official picture of the S920 after the jump.

If there's one technological breakthrough China's government thinks it needs right this second, it's their own operating system. Or more control over the internet - but that's (perhaps) besides the point. Today the big news is the Chinese government signing a deal with Canonical, the creators of the OS Ubuntu, to create their own home-grown operating system to "wean its IT sector off Western software in favor of more home-grown alternatives."

This week the executive chairman of Google Eric Schmidt let it be known that he's fearful of the control China keeps over its citizens in regards to the internet - and has called upon the rest of the world to have a discussion about what that country's handling of the web means for us all. Saying China's censoring and control of the internet is currently "the most egregious example" of a country keeping a fierce grip over its citizens access to the web, Schmidt made it clear that the recent hacking of the New York Times was an example of a very negative pre-cursor to Chinese citizen fear. This chat occurred at the Big Tent Activate Summit in New Delhi, India, this week with Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger.

China's most powerful TV program, China Central Television, controlled by the country's government, aired a 2-hour show that attacked both Apple's and Volkswagen's customer service policies in the country. CCTV aired the broadcast in celebration of World Consumer Rights Day, held every year on March 15th. The company has attacked several, major corporations in the past, including Mcdonalds, KFC, and a French retailer named Carrefour.

China is willing to talk with the United States about the ongoing cyber security issues that have befallen them recently. It's been a back and forth war between both the United States and China. The U.S. accused China of hacking into various businesses and news sites, while China insists that they have been the victims of many cyber attacks as well, many of the attacks which supposedly came from the U.S.

China has been the source of many cyberattacks against US organizations, businesses and media companies, many of which revealed earlier this year the extent of the attacks they suffered. Some such companies include The New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, just to name a few. In response, the White House has called for China's government to put an end to its cyberattacks, and to instead act in accordance to “acceptable norms of behavior in cyberspace.”

The devices you're about to see are being tipped as coming from Lenovo some time inside the 2013 Summer season, and if you'll look closely, you'll see how they've essentially lifted the styles of the HTC One X and the HTC One S top to bottom. Though HTC has moved past those devices with the more simply titled HTC One, you'll see first and fore most that the HTC One X has had its styling looked after on both the front and back of this code-named Lenovo S920. This device is also tipped as coming with many of the same specifications as the Lenovo K900, this time with a bit more affordability attached.

All the way from China we're having a glance at a set of prototype cases for the Samsung Galaxy S4, a smartphone device that's set to be unveiled in just a week's time. As it is quite often with releases such as this, the Samsung Galaxy S IV (or S4, whichever you like) is said to have had its basic physical specifications leaked to case-makers so that they might create protective bits and pieces for the hardware available when the device launches. While this situation can sometimes give us a healthy dose of early understanding, it can just as easily be a completely false scent - so keep that in mind!

The Chinese government has accused the US of a torrent of hacking attempts, blaming hackers in the United States for nearly two-thirds of all cyber-terrorism made against the country. The Chinese Department of Defense and the Chinese military have together faced 144,000 hack attempts per month on average, the country's Ministry of Defense said today, with spokesperson Geng Yansheng citing US IP addresses as the telltale giveaway for who was responsible.

There have been an onslaught of trade secret thefts and espionage strikes that have affected many U.S. corporations, including General Motors, Ford, DuPont, Dow Chemical and Cargill, as well as many media news outlet including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg news. All of the attacks seem to be originating from one area in China, and that’s the HQ for the People’s Liberation Army Unit 61398.